E. Coli found in Suffolk beef

Seven people in Suffolk County have reportedly become ill from E. Coli poisoning after consuming undercooked ground beef.
In one case, the bacteria infected a North Carolina girl, causing her kidneys to shut down.
So here’s the fairly recent contamination tally so far: Spinach, Taco Bell, pet food, mushrooms, Veggie Booty, peanut butter and now ground beef.
Is [...]

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The Fresh Market eyes LI

Southern grocery store chain The Fresh Market is apparently looking for a good plot on Long Island to build one of its markets on.
According to Kamcity.com (the one-stop shop for Key Account Management), the Greensboro, N.C.-based market is looking for about 20,000 square feet in an upscale neighborhood in New Jersey, areas north of Manhattan [...]

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Tainted booty

Veggie Booty, the recalled salmonella-laden health-food treat, sickened more than 60 people, according to an Associated Press report.
The snack, which was voluntarily recalled by Sea Cliff maker Robert’s American Gourmet because it suspected the seasoning, a Chinese import, was tainted with the bacteria, afflicted 15 New Yorkers.
Many of the sick were small children.
From the story:

The [...]

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Who wants gluten anyway?

A Long Island baker thinks dietary restrictions shouldn’t keep people from their cravings for cookies.
Nutrition Creations, a Bay Shore company, said today it just released a line of gluten-free cookies for people that are sensitive to the compounds.
Gluten is essentially the protein part of wheat. The compound is responsible for the elasticity in dough — [...]

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Recall surprise: Veggie Booty blames China

Roberts American Gourmet, the Sea Cliff company that last week recalled its Veggie Booty healthy puffed rice snack due to possible Salmonella contamination, blamed China for the tainted treats.
The company said the snack’s China-made seasoning, which is a blend of dried green leaf vegetables, salt and spices, tested positive for the bacteria.
Salmonella, if eaten, can [...]

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Iron Chef to visit LI

Chef Masaharu Morimoto, the famed Iron Chef Japanese, will be in Huntington this September.
The former participant on both the original Japanese version and the American version of cult cooking competition show Iron Chef will visit independent book store Book Revue to sign his new cookbook, “Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking.”
What’s even better, he’s [...]

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Beer, wine, BBQ … oh my

The North Fork Craft Beer, BBQ and Wine Festival is set for August 11 and it sounds like it is going to be one hell of a party.
The festival is going to be packed with beers crafted by local brewers including the Blue Point Brewing Company, as well as beers from various New York breweries [...]

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Team building, the delicious way

Team building, yuck! But throw in some food and even misanthropes like myself might grin, or should I say chew, and bear it.
DOAR Litigation, a tech and intellectual property consulting firm based in Lynbrook, just completed an in-office cooking seminar.
Employees participated in one-hour workshops at the close of the workday, learning recipes and cooking techniques [...]

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This looks familiar to me

It seems Starbucks is not welcome in the North Fork, at least that’s what we’re hearing.
Here’s a bit from the Associated Press story:

Residents of the North Fork of Long Island are apparently suffering from Frapuccino rage.
The Starbucks global chain of coffee shops has moved into Greenport, Southold and Mattituck. The towns have long resisted [...]

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Entenmann’s finds perfect pairing

One of the country’s best known coffee cake makers said it will offer a new line of products that’s perfectly suited to accompany its baked goods.
The Bay Shore-based company said it entered into a marketing agreement with Coffee Holding Co. Inc., a major coffee distributor, to create an Entenmann’s-branded line of coffees.
Coffee Holding, which essentially [...]

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Salmonella from Sea Cliff

Here’s an unhealthy healthy snack.
Roberts American Gourmet, a Sea Cliff company that specializes in making healthy alternatives to snacks like popcorn and potato chips, issued a recall of its Veggie Booty.
The company said the product, which is essentially puffed rice and corn that has been sprinkled with a seasoned mixture of minced kale, carrots and [...]

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Island living: It’s about seafood

One of New York City’s best chefs is a Long Island boy who cooks seafood with a passion that could only come from growing up along on the water.
James Pasternak, who runs Esca, a Southern Italian seafood restaurant in Midtown, just released a new cookbook full of his special seafood recipes.
But Pasternak, who was dubbed [...]

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Starbucks hits LI in the belly

A latte on Long Island just got 1.25 percent healthier.
Rife coffee chain Starbucks announced today it is switching from using whole milk in its beverages to using 2 percent milk.
Whole milk contains typically 3.25 percent milkfat.
Starbucks said it is following a national move away from the more fattening milk to the lowfat variety. Customers can [...]

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Let’s meet in the morning

Hungry? Craving an omelet? Are a plate full of strawberries enough? After all, you’re probably not even there for the food.
You know the drill - go to the diner for a power breakfast on the way to the office. It’s an early-morning chance to seal the deal, make a sales pitch or, shhh, interview [...]

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Michaels’ gets rave review

Joanne Starkey of The New York Times had nothing but good things to say about restaurant Michaels’ at the Boardwalk, and she even forgave the misplaced apostrophe in the restaurant’s name.
The Riverhead restaurant, which opened in March, is tied to Michaels’ at Maidstone Park in East Hampton, which opened in 1984.
The writer says the [...]

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Local lunch lady crosses the Sound

It’s nice to see a local company doing business across our pond even if it suggests Long Island takes its high prices wherever it goes.
Islandia-based Whitsons Culinary Group will serve lunches to hungry schoolchildren in Connecticut’s Norwalk school district.
However, students can look forward to a lunch price hike when Whitsons takes over.
From The Advocate story:

Chief [...]

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Grab a spoon: The Soup Nazi’s headed for Centereach

Last week, Long Island Business News looked at a dark time in Yaphank’s past, a time when Nazis gathered in the bucolic region. Thankfully, that was long ago.
Today, the only Nazi you’re going to find here serves soup instead of hate.
The Original SoupMan, Al Yeganeh, who inspired the famous “Soup Nazi” episode of the tremendous [...]

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Taco Bell made money, despite that little E. coli problem

You’d think an E. coli outbreak in its Long Island and New Jersey Taco Bell restaurants, which caused about 70 people to become quite ill, would hamper owner Yum Brands’ quarterly results.
And a later report of rats running through a New York restaurant shouldn’t have helped either.
Still, the company said its first quarter profit rose [...]

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Brand on the run, no more

They got it back.
Hain Celestial, the Melville-based superstar in the arena of organic food and beauty products, said it relaunched the Linda McCartney brand of vegetarian dinners in the United Kingdom.
Hain had pulled the brand off of the shelves when it bought the company in June 2006 from H.J. Heinz Co. The company said it [...]

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Canvas editor on Caribbean culture

As editor of local magazine Canvas, Ramin Ganeshram, is up to her neck in articles about holistic living and environmental causes. But she’s also a guru when it comes to Caribbean cooking.
The chef and writer is featured today in a New York Times article about the evolution of Caribbean Asian culture, the proliferation of that [...]

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On trans fats, Suozzi to follow NYC

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi will announce tomorrow another effort related to his “Healthy Nassau” initiative.
The executive will announce at a press conference he will push the Nassau County Board of Health to ban the use of trans fats in county restaurants.
New York City’s board of heath unanimously approved a trans-fat ban in NYC restaurants [...]

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The recall parade continues: Deadly olives

Here’s the next offender in the growing list of contaminated foods.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a grave warning today against eating certain canned olives, LI Biz Blog learned through a post on top blog Consumerist.
The FDA “urgently warns” consumers not to eat olives canned by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, [...]

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Just bubbling with news

Here’s a biz story that’s about as hard hitting as you’re going to get on the afternoon of Good Friday — because the markets are closed, workers went home early, and on the business news front it’s as quiet as a slice of bread ….
Southwest Airlines, which is the major carrier at Islip’s MacArthur Airport, [...]

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No refund? At least there’s a free rocky road for you

On tax day, April 17, in between the sobs of joy and sorrow, take a moment for something pure and beautiful.
Free Ice Cream!!!!!!
Hippie frozen treat gurus Ben & Jerry’s announced tax day will also be free cone day at all participating retail operations.
From blog The Consumerist:

From 12pm to 8pm, at all participating Ben & Jerry’s, [...]

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Hain makes gluten-free push

Hain Celestial said Friday it will launch a multi-brand initiative to educate its gluten-sensitive customers about its gluten-free products.
Hain, the Melville-based mega-marketer of organic and healthy food and beauty products, said it markets more than 100 products that do not contain gluten.
Gluten is essentially the protein found in wheat. It’s the reason dough is elastic [...]

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Burger King gets PETA friendly

The home of flame-broiled burgers and creepy, Punchinello-type mascots unveiled a humane side to its fat-soaked delicacy business.
The fast-food chain said it began buying pork and eggs from farmers who do not keep the pigs or chickens in cages.
That move has People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals pleased, which is an about-face from its [...]

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